ADAPTIVE

REUSE
Chidambara Vilas

Rishima Bansal
CHIDAMBARA VILAS- Basic Information
Location- Chidambara Vilas, Chettinadu region,
Pudukottai, Tamilnadu

Year of construction- 1906; Extension made in 1920

Cost of construction- 7 Lakhs

Previous Owners- Nattukottai Chettiars

Current Owners- on lease for 30 years to Sangam

group of hotels in 2011
 HISTORY
● Chettinadu (Land of the Chettiars) inhabited and dominated mainly
by the Nagarathars or the Nattukottai Chettiar community was
established under the Chola kingdom during the 13th century.
● Chettiars have played a leading role in the business world of the
Chola kingdom, dominated the coastal business as ship-chandlers,
salt merchants and gem dealers from 17th century.
● However, at the peak of their success, World War II broke out. Some
of the Chettiars were able to shift from trading to these new
avenues.
● In doing so, they migrated to and started settling as families in
Chennai and other parts of Tamilnadu as nucleated families
(1920-1930’s) leaving behind their palatial ancestral houses at
Chettinadu, as venues, for their religious festivals and life cycle
ceremonies and rituals. However many of these mansions are falling
to decay due to negligence.
MATERIAL
● The mansion is constructed with local materials
like baked bricks, lime plaster, Aathangudi tiles,
terracotta tiles and raw granite.
● The interior is embellished with the imported
materials like Italian marble, Burma teak, rose
wood, Belgium glass and stain glass.
● Madras terrace is used for flat roofs and the high
ceilings covered with wooden sloped roofs false
ceilings are constructed with a framework of
Burma teaks and panels of decorative teak wood
or Aathangudi tiles.
● The wood was imported from Burma, lights and
Aathangudi tiles
mirrors from Belgium, chandeliers from Daman
and Diu and tiles from Italy.
SPATIAL ORGANISATION
● The spatial organization consists of a valavu (single central courtyard) with a kottagai (hall) along the
central main axis and a bhojana hall (dining hall) along the secondary axis, parallel to the main axis.
The architectural vocabulary is typical to Chettinadu architecture with high raised compound wall,
munpuram, keezhpaththi, thinnai (columned raised platform), kannakkupillai arai (accountant’s
room), pattagasalai (men’s greeting room), arais (rooms around the courtyard), and pendir arai
(women ’s room) kottagai (double storeyed hall with clerestory) along the main axis. Along the
secondary axis behind the second kottagai is the small courtyard accommodating the samayal arai
(kitchen) and a well (Fig 1). The first floor with arais and halls is accessed by the staircases at the four
corners of the main courtyard. (Fig.2).
● The architectural style and character of the mansion is typically Chettinadu,following an eclectic
style combining the Indian and colonial, spatial hierarchy expressed through variation in décor
moving from the highly decorated and embellished to simple and practical as one moves through
the mansion
PRESENT DAY
Today, Chidambara Vilas is projected to visitors as an authentic experience of the rich Chettinad
heritage, as a result of the restoration project conceived by the Sangam group who manage the
property. The restoration took 3 years, which is almost half the time it took to build the actual home, to
ensure that the authentic heritage of the house is preserved.

Chidambara Vilas specializes in Chettinad cuisine cooked with unique local flavors and ingredients. The
property offers 25 guest rooms, experiential dining restaurant, interactive demo kitchen, fine dining
restaurant, informal bar area, and a swimming pool. You can choose from the Heritage Double Room or
the Heritage Twin Room. All the luxury rooms of this Chettinad heritage hotel matches every modern
need blended with vintage room aesthetics.
Reception (Mugappu) Visiri Hall (previously reserved for women)- now
experiential dining room A.K.A Panka Room

Courtyard (Valavu) Banquet Hall

Heritage Double room

Heritage Twin room

EXTERIOR
POOL AREA
COLUMNS